MLB Explores Potential Schedule Changes
Major League Baseball (MLB) has discussed possible significant modifications to its schedule. Commissioner Rob Manfred recently spoke on New York’s WFAN with Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle and mentioned two concepts the league is considering.
Split Seasons and In-Season Tournaments
“We’ve talked about split seasons. We’ve talked about in-season tournaments,” Manfred stated. He acknowledged that the current 162-game schedule is quite extensive and highlighted the challenges of integrating such events, suggesting it might necessitate a reduction in regular-season games. This complexity arises from the sport’s numerous season-long records, which fans value greatly.
Current Status of Ideas
To clarify, neither concept appears to be under serious consideration at this time. Manfred only addressed the topic when specifically asked if there was interest in an NBA Cup-like model, pointing out the inherent challenges in adapting a similar format to baseball while admitting that the idea has been contemplated within league offices.
The NBA’s In-Season Tournament
The NBA introduced its in-season tournament for the 2023-24 season, lasting about six weeks in the first half of the regular season. It includes all teams and consists of group play followed by knockout rounds, with most games contributing to regular season records. Players are incentivized with cash bonuses for advancing, and the champion receives a trophy. However, this tournament does not influence playoff seeding.
Challenges for MLB
MLB wouldn’t necessarily replicate the NBA model, especially since the knockout rounds in the NBA are single-elimination, contrasting with MLB’s series-based approach. This creates scheduling challenges, as three-game series could lead to an imbalanced schedule for progressing teams, while single-elimination formats complicate travel logistics. Running a tournament could reduce overall game counts for non-advancing teams, raising revenue concerns.
Split-Season Concept Viability
A split-season format might be more feasible, already in use in the minor leagues up to Triple-A. It divides the season into two halves, with separate winners, allowing teams to maintain fan engagement even after poor performances in the first half. However, this could lead to a situation where a team with the best overall record misses the playoffs if division winners perform poorly in either half, as seen in the 1981 Reds experience.
Future Prospects and Expansion Plans
While these changes seem to be more of a speculative discussion for now, MLB is actively pursuing expansion. Manfred aims to increase the league from 30 to 32 teams before his retirement in three years, which would lead to divisional realignment. He prefers to keep cities with two teams, like New York and Chicago, in separate leagues, mirroring the NFL’s structure. Though he will not oversee this transition, his comments reflect the league’s current direction.
